Robicheaux: A Novel
Book
James Lee Burke’s most beloved character, Dave Robicheaux, returns in this gritty, atmospheric...
Thriller
A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock #2)
9.0
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Book
The game is afoot as Charlotte Holmes returns in the atmospheric second novel in New York Times...
The Anarchists Club
10.0
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Book
'Leo Stanhope is a wonderful creation, his world atmospheric and terrifying, and his own story as...
Historical Fiction
ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Garden in Books
Oct 14, 2025
The story starts off very gently: two elderly sisters, living in the grounds of a big house, one working tirelessly in the garden in order to provide them with enough food, the other joining in here and there, but mostly she’s preoccupied with practicing her dance routine. Outside the gardens walls lies unknown danger. One mustn’t even look beyond the wall.
And then a young boy arrives and everything changes. The outside comes inside.
I loved this. The rules the women live by, set by their mother decades ago, are there to keep them safe, but there’s no room for manoeuvre. So when they’re faced with the unexpected, they don’t know what to do. There’s a climate disaster angle too, and gives the reader a scenario of what might happen if we continue on our current trajectory. Changing seasons, drought, sandstorms.
This novel is so atmospheric. There’s an undercurrent of dread and impending doom, and the descriptions of the garden, cottage and land are quite beautiful.
Wonderful writing and a wonderful story. Highly recommended!
ClareR (6256 KP) rated Spitting Gold in Books
Jun 4, 2026
Atmospheric writing places the reader in Paris after the French Revolution, where Baroness Sylvie is living a perfect life with her affluent lawyer husband.
Her estranged sister, Charlotte Mothe, visits with an offer that’s hard to refuse. Their father is very ill, Charlotte needs to pay the bills, and Sylvie must come out of retirement and conduct a seance to help her out. But Sylvie is risking her marriage.
Spitting Gold is a debut, and I thought it was gripping and entertaining - it kept me reading! The characters were fleshed out, believable and colourful (to say the least!). There were moments where it made me feel very uncomfortable - was it the ghosts?
There’s a bit of something for everyone here: historical fiction, mystery, the paranormal, sapphic romance and family dynamics.
Recommended!
The Low Road
8.0
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Book
In 1828, two young women were torn apart as they were sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay....
Women's Fiction Historical Fiction LGBT+
The Green Baize Door (A Marie Chevalier Mystery, #1)
Book
An atmospheric historical mystery where every character has their own agenda, and their own truth. ...
Historical Mystery
ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Surf House in Books
Feb 22, 2026
Bea is invited to The Surf House to hide out and gather her thoughts, and it seems idyllic. The descriptions of the sea, surfers and the beach almost made me want to learn how to surf somewhere hot (almost). But at the same time, it’s clear that there’s something else going on. Something rotten. When Bea finds out that a young woman went missing a year ago, she starts to notice more things that don’t seem right.
There are so many twists, turns and dead ends that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I did find myself wanting to shout at her to just leave - I was so frustrated! She is pretty naive. But this is so well written and evocative of the setting and Bea’s feelings when she feels trapped and scared (and she feels those things a lot!), that I can forgive her naivety!
Ideal for those who enjoy a good thriller!
